JP7100815B2 - Positioning - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to positioning techniques, and more specifically to the steps of locating mobile devices.

Positioning techniques are becoming more and more widely used today. For example, when a user wants to book a taxi, the latest taxi driver will need to know the user's location. A Global Positioning System (GPS) or other satellite-based positioning system can be used to determine the user's location.

In general, GPS receivers require at least three accessible satellite signals to determine the location of the receiver.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for returning a position with respect to a device is provided. According to this method, the first image captured by the device can be received from the device through one or more networks. The first orientation of the device can be received from the device through one or more networks. A second image captured by the device can be received from the device through one or more networks, and a second orientation of the device can be received from the device. The first position of the first object contained in the first image and the second position of the second object contained in the second image can be determined from the database, respectively. The database can contain multiple object positions. The position of the device can be determined according to the first orientation, the second orientation, the first position of the first object, and the second position of the second object. The device location can be sent to the device.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer system is provided. The computer system comprises a processor and computer-readable memory coupled to the processor. The memory, when performed by the processor, captures the following actions by the device, namely the step of receiving the first image captured by the device and the first orientation of the device from the device through one or more networks. In the step of receiving the second image and the second orientation of the device from the device through one or more networks, and in the first position and second image of the first object contained in the first image. A step of determining the second position of the included second object from a database containing multiple object positions, and a first orientation, a second orientation, a first position of the first object, and a second. It comprises an instruction to determine the position of the device according to the second position of the object and to transmit the position of the device to the device.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product comprises a computer readable storage medium with program instructions embodied therein, the program instructions to the processor through one or more networks of the first image captured by the device and the orientation of the device. The first position of the first object contained in the first image, received from the device, the second image captured by the device, and the second orientation of the device received from the device through one or more networks. And the second position of the second object contained in the second image is determined from the database containing the plurality of object positions, and the first orientation, the second orientation, and the first position of the first object are determined. And it can be performed by the processor to determine the position of the device according to the second position of the second object and cause the device position to be transmitted to the device.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer implementation method for returning a position with respect to a device is provided. According to the method, the first image captured by the device and the first orientation of the device are transmitted to the server through one or more networks. The second image captured by the device and the second orientation of the device are transmitted to the server over one or more networks. The first position of the first object contained in the first image is received through one or more networks. The second position of the second object contained in the second image is received through one or more networks. The first position and the second position can be specified using the database of object positions. The device position of the device is determined according to the first orientation, the second orientation, the first position of the first object and the second position of the second object.

The above overview is not intended to describe each of the embodiments presented or any implementation of the present disclosure.

The drawings contained in this application are incorporated into the specification and form part thereof. They serve to illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with description, explain the principles of the present disclosure. The drawings only illustrate some embodiments and do not limit the disclosure.

A cloud computing node according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Illustrates a cloud computing environment according to an embodiment of the present invention. An abstraction model layer according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of the environment by an embodiment of this disclosure. An example of a coordinate system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Another example of a coordinate system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. It is a flowchart of the method example for positioning by an embodiment of this disclosure. It is a flowchart of another method example for positioning by one Embodiment of this disclosure.

The present invention withstands various modifications and alternative forms, the details of which are shown in the drawings as examples and described in detail. However, it should be understood that there is no intention to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. Conversely, it is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and options within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to positioning techniques, and a more specific aspect relates to the step of locating a mobile device. The present disclosure is not necessarily limited to such uses, but various aspects of the present disclosure will be well understood through consideration of various examples in this context.

Some preferred embodiments are described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings showing preferred embodiments of the present disclosure. However, this disclosure can be implemented in various ways and therefore should not be construed as limiting this disclosure to the embodiments disclosed herein.

It should be understood that the disclosure includes a detailed description of cloud computing, but the implementation of the teachings listed herein is not limited to cloud computing environments. Rather, embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in conjunction with any other type of computing environment currently known or later developed.

Cloud computing is a convenient on-demand network for shared pools of configurable computing resources (eg, networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing, memory, storage, applications, virtual machines and services). It is a model of service delivery to enable access, and these resources can be quickly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or interaction with service providers. This cloud model may include at least 5 features, at least 3 service models, and at least 4 deployment models.

The features are as follows.
On-demand self-service: Cloud consumers automatically and unidirectionally provide computing capabilities as needed without human interaction with service providers, such as server time and network storage. Can be provisioned.
Extensive network access: Capabilities are available through the network and are accessed through standard mechanisms that facilitate use by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (eg, mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs). ..
Resource pooling: Provider's computing resources are pooled using a multi-tenant model to serve multiple consumers, and different physical and virtual resources are dynamically allocated and reassigned on demand. Consumers generally have no control over or knowledge of the exact location of the resources provided, but identify their location (eg, country, state, or data center) at a higher level of abstraction. Position independence is significant in that it can be possible.
Rapid elasticity: Capabilities can be quickly and elastically released to scale out quickly, in some cases automatically, provisioned, and quickly released to scale in quickly. Consumers often seem to have unlimited capabilities available for provisioning and can buy any quantity at any time.
Services Measured: Cloud systems automate resource usage by leveraging metric capabilities at some level of abstraction appropriate for the type of service (eg storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Control and optimize. Resource usage can be monitored, controlled and reported to provide transparency to both providers and consumers of the services utilized.

The service model is as follows.
Software as a Service (Software as a Service): The capability provided to consumers is to use the provider's application running on the cloud infrastructure. The application is accessible from a variety of client devices through a thin client interface such as a web browser (eg, web-based email). Consumers manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure, including networks, servers, operating systems, storage, or individual application capabilities, with the possible exceptions of limited user-specific application configuration settings. do not do.
Platform as a Service (PaaS): The capabilities provided to consumers are consumer-generated or acquired applications generated using programming languages and tools supported by the provider. Is to be deployed on the cloud infrastructure. Consumers do not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure, including networks, servers, operating systems, or storage, but control deployed applications and, in some cases, the environment configuration that hosts them.
Infrastructure as a Service (IAaS): The capabilities provided to consumers allow consumers to deploy and run any software, including operating systems and applications. Provision processing, storage, network, and other basic computing resources. Consumers do not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure, but control operating systems, storage, deployed applications, and in some cases limited to selected networking components (eg, host firewalls). Perform the controlled control.

The deployment model is as follows.
Private cloud: Cloud infrastructure operates exclusively for an organization. The cloud infrastructure may be managed by the organization or a third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
Community cloud: The cloud infrastructure is shared by several organizations and supports specific communities with common interests (eg, missions, security requirements, policies, and compliance considerations). Community clouds may be managed by those organizations or third parties and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
Public Cloud: Cloud infrastructure is made available to the general public or large industry groups and is owned by organizations that sell cloud services.
Hybrid Clouds: Cloud infrastructure is a composite of two or more clouds (private, community, or public), and these clouds remain unique entities, but with data and application portability (eg, for example). , Cloud bursting for load balancing between clouds), put together by standardized or patented technology.

Cloud computing environments are service-oriented with a focus on stateless, loosely coupled, modularity, and semantic interoperability. At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure that includes a network of interconnected nodes.

Next, with reference to FIG. 1, a schematic diagram of an example of a cloud computing node is shown. The cloud computing node 10 is merely an example of a suitable cloud computing node and suggests any limitation on the usage or scope of functionality of the embodiments of the invention described herein. is not. Nevertheless, the cloud computing node 10 is capable of implementing and / or performing any of the functionality presented above.

The cloud computing node 10 includes a portable electronic device, such as a communication device, that can be operated using a computer system / server 12 or many other general purpose or dedicated computing system environments or configurations. .. Well-known computing systems, environments, or configurations or all examples thereof that may be suitable for use with the computing system / server 12 are, but are not limited to, personal computer systems, servers. Computer systems, thin clients, thick clients, handheld or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, settop boxes, programmable home appliances, network PCs, minicomputer systems, Includes mainframe computer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments including any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

The computer system / server 12 may be described in the general context of instructions executed by the computer system, such as program modules, executed by the computer system. In general, a program module may include routines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, etc. that perform a particular task or implement a particular abstract data type. The computer system / server 12 may be performed in a distributed cloud computing environment in which tasks are performed by remote processing devices linked through a communication network. In a distributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be located on both local and remote computer system storage media, including memory storage devices.

As shown in FIG. 1, the computer system / server 12 in the cloud computing node 10 is shown in the form of a general purpose computing device. The components of the computer system / server 12 combine various system components into the processor 16, including, but not limited to, one or more processors or processing units 16, system memory 28, and system memory 28. The bus 18 to be used may be included.

Bus 18 is of several types, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus with any of the various bus architectures. Represents one or more of the bus structures. By way of example, such architectures include Industrial Standard Architecture (ISA) buses, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) buses, Enhanced ISA (EISA) buses, and video electronics standards. Includes the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus and the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus.

The computer system / server 12 typically includes various computer system readable media. Such media may be any available medium accessible by the computer system / server 12, including both volatile and non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.

The system memory 28 can include computer system readable media in the form of volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 30 and / or cache memory 32. The computer system / server 12 may further include other removable / non-removable, volatile / non-volatile computer system storage media. As an example only, a storage system 34 can be provided to read from and write to non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media (not shown, typically referred to as "hard drives"). Although not shown, removable, non-volatile magnetic disk drives for reading from and writing to non-volatile magnetic disks (eg, "flexible disks"), and removable, non-volatile such as CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs or other optical media. Optical disk drives can be provided to read from and write to sex optical discs. In such cases, each can be connected to the bus 18 by one or more data medium interfaces. As further illustrated and described below, the memory 28 is at least one program product having a set of program modules (eg, at least one) configured to perform the functions of the embodiments of the present invention. May include.

A program / utility 40 having a set (at least one) of program modules 42, as well as an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules and program data, is not limited, but by way of example. It may be stored in the memory 28. An operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and each or any combination of program data may include an implementation of a networking environment. The program module 42 generally implements the functions and / or methodologies of embodiments of the invention as described herein.

The computer system / server 12 may further include one or more external devices 14, such as a keyboard, pointing device, display 24, etc., one or more that allow the user to interact with the computer system / server 12. The device, or computer system / server 12, may communicate with any device (eg, network card, modem, etc.) that allows it to communicate with one or more other computing devices, or all of them. .. Such communication can occur via the input / output (I / O) interface 22. Furthermore, the computer system / server 12 may be one or more networks, such as a local area network (LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), or the public. You can communicate with networks (eg, the Internet) or all of them via a network adapter 20. As shown, the network adapter 20 communicates with other components of the computer system / server 12 via bus 18. It should be understood that, although not shown, other hardware and / or software components could be used with the computer system / server 12. Examples include, but are not limited to, microcodes, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data archive storage systems.

Next, with reference to FIG. 2, an exemplary cloud computing environment 50 is illustrated. As shown, the cloud computing environment 50 may be, for example, a mobile information terminal (PDA) or mobile phone 54A, desktop computer 54B, laptop computer 54C, or automotive computer system 54N or theirs. All include one or more cloud computing nodes 10 with which local computing devices used by cloud consumers may communicate. Nodes 10 may communicate with each other. These nodes may be physically or virtually grouped (not shown) in one or more networks, such as the private, community, public, or hybrid cloud described above, or a combination thereof. ). This means that the cloud computing environment 50 provides the infrastructure, platform or software as services, or all of them, without the need for cloud consumers to maintain the resources for it on their local computing devices. Tolerate. It is intended that the types of computing devices 54A-N shown in FIG. 2 are merely exemplary, and the computing node 10 and cloud computing environment 50 are any type of network. Alternatively, it is possible to communicate with any type of computerized device through a network addressable connection or both (eg, using a web browser).

Next, with reference to FIG. 3, a set of functional abstraction layers provided by the cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 2) is shown. It should be understood in advance that the components, layers, and functions shown in FIG. 3 are intended to be exemplary only, and embodiments of the invention are not limited thereto. The following layers and corresponding functions are provided as illustrated.

The hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and software components. Examples of hardware components are mainframe 61, RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture-based server 62, server 63, blade server 64, storage device 65, and network and networking. Includes component 66. In some embodiments, the software components include network application server software 67 and database software 68.

The virtualization layer 70 is then provided with the following examples of virtual entities: a virtual network 73 including a virtual server 71, a virtual storage 72, a virtual private network, a virtual application and an operating system 74, and a virtual client 75. Provides a good layer of abstraction.

In one example, the management layer 80 may provide the functions described below. Resource provisioning 81 provides the dynamic procurement of computing resources and other resources used to perform tasks within a cloud computing environment. Weighing and pricing 82 provides cost tracking as resources are used within a cloud computing environment, and billing or billing for consumption of these resources. In one example, these resources may include application software licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloud consumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources. User Portal 83 provides access to the cloud computing environment for consumers and system administrators. Service level management 84 provides cloud computing resource allocation and management to meet the required service level. The Service Level Agreement (SLA) Program and Implementation 85 provides pre-deployment and procurement of cloud computing resources for which future requirements for them are expected in accordance with SLA.

The workload layer 90 provides an example of functionality in which a cloud computing environment may be utilized for that purpose. Examples of workloads and features that may be provided from this layer include mapping and navigation 91, software development and lifecycle management 92, virtual classroom education delivery 93, data analysis processing 94, transaction processing 95, and positioning 96.

Recently, the need for positioning technology has increased. For example, when a user wants to book a taxi, the taxi driver may need to know the user's location. The location of the user can be determined using a device, such as a mobile phone used by the user. The position of the device can be regarded as the position of the user. GPS or other satellite-based positioning systems can be used to determine the user's position. However, GPS or other satellite-based positioning systems are not perfect and in some cases cannot operate stably. For example, a GPS system requires a mobile device to detect satellite signals of at least three positioning satellites with sufficient strength to provide positioning services. Moreover, there may be conditions that impair the accuracy of the GPS system.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of an environment 400 for locating a device 410 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 410 is a mobile device, a handheld device, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a camera, a laptop, a tablet, a transceiver, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a current knowledge suitable for applying the positioning technology of the present disclosure. It can be any other type of device that has been or will be developed. The device 410 can be carried by the user or deployed in the vehicle. The device 410 may be equipped with a photographing device suitable for acquiring an image or a photograph. The photographing device can include a camera. The device 410 may also include a sensor for determining the orientation of the device 410. The sensor can be a digital compass, a gyroscope, or any other directional device that is currently known or will be developed.

At least two images can be acquired using the imaging device of the device 410 to determine the position of the device 410. At least two images can be acquired at the same position or at two positions close enough to each other to be considered as a single position by the positioning system. For example, after acquiring the first image, the device can rotate the angle and then acquire the second image. At least two images can include a first image and a second image. At least one object can be identified in each of the first and second images, respectively. In one example, the first object 420 identified in the first image can be a restaurant and the second object 430 identified in the second image can be a hotel.

In addition to the step of acquiring the first image, the first orientation 440 of the device can be determined. In addition to the step of acquiring the second image, the second orientation 450 of the device can be determined. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the step of acquiring the first image or the second image can be implemented before, simultaneously with, or after the step of acquiring the first orientation 440 or the second orientation 450. In one example, the first orientation 440 and the second orientation 450 can be acquired in parallel with the step of photographing the first object 420 and the second object 430 using the imaging device of the device 410.

The first orientation 440 can be the angle between the axial direction and the reference direction of the device when the first object 420 is photographed using the photographing device. The second orientation 450 can be the angle between the axial direction and the reference direction of the device when shooting the second object 430. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the reference direction is set or selected east, or by device 410, a user, an application running on the device, a local or remote server, a service provider, and the like. It can be in the other direction. The axial direction of the device can be from the device towards the first object 420 or the second object 430, respectively.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a marker or identifier can be displayed on the display device of the device 410 while the image is taken with the image pickup device of the device 410. As an example, the device 410 can be rotated to capture the first object 420 and / or the second object 430. If the object 420 or object 430 shown on the display matches the marker or identifier shown on the display during shooting, the angle between the axial direction and the reference direction of the device 410 can be increased. It can be recorded as one orientation 440 or a second orientation 450.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the sensor of the device 410 can also be used to determine the first orientation 440 and the second orientation 450 of the device 410. If the object 420 or object 430 shown on the display device matches the marker or identifier shown on the display device during shooting, the sensor can be used to determine the orientation of the device 410, and the sensor can be used. The orientations obtained using can be recorded as the first orientation 440 or the second orientation 450, respectively.

The positions of the first object 420 and the second object 430 can be acquired. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the step of acquiring the position of the first object or the position of the second object is before, at the same time, or at the same time as the step of acquiring the first azimuth 440 or the second azimuth 450. Can be implemented later. The location may be retrieved from a database of object locations, eg, a cloud server with a stored Street View map, according to some embodiments.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the locations of different buildings or other types of landmarks can be pre-acquired and recorded in a database. Records in the database can include identifiers of buildings or landmarks, images of buildings or landmarks, or locations of these buildings or landmarks. The database may be stored on the device itself or in remote storage such as cloud storage. For example, in a plurality of embodiments, the Street View map may serve as a database. In such an embodiment, the first object and the pictures of the second object may be uploaded to the server via one or more networks. In some embodiments, the photo may be converted to black and white before uploading. The first object 420 and the second object 420 and the second using various types of image identification techniques that are currently known or will be developed in response to the steps of acquiring the first image and the second image. The object 430 can be identified in the first image and the second image, respectively. The identifiers of the first object 420 and the second object 430 can be determined and matched with the records in the database, respectively. Database records may include various location images and associated location data. The location data includes stored GPS data in a plurality of embodiments. In response to the step of finding the corresponding record, the positions of the first object 420 and the second object 430 can be determined based on the corresponding records, respectively. In another example, the area with the first object 420 in the first image can be compared to the recorded image in the database.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, user input can also be used to identify the first object 420 and / or the second object 430. For example, if the user is familiar with the building or landmark in which it was photographed, the name or other information of the building or landmark to help identify the first object 420 and / or second object 430. Can be entered. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, if the first position of the first object 420 is not obtained from the database or the second position of the second object 430 is not obtained, to the user of the device 410. Notifications can be presented. As an example, the notification can be a notification message shown on the display device of the device 410. In another example, the server can send a notification message to the device 410, which can then be shown on the display device of the device 410.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of an example 500 of a coordinate system for determining the position of the device 410 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In one example, the positions of the first object 420 and the second object 430 can be mapped to the first point 520 and the second point 530 in the coordinate system. As an example, the coordinate system is selected by selecting the reference position as the origin 510 of the coordinate system, selecting the reference direction as the X axis of the coordinate system, and selecting the direction perpendicular to the X axis (reference direction) as the Y axis of the coordinate system. Can be dynamically established. In another example, a coordinate system can be established by selecting a direction with an angle from the reference direction as the X-axis of the coordinate system.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the positions of the first object 420 and the second object 430 are suitable for presenting the longitude and latitude, or the positions currently known or to be developed. Can be represented in any other format. The reference position can be selected and set as the origin 510 of the coordinate system. In one example, the reference position can be close to the position of the first object 420 and the second object 430. The difference between (longitude 1, latitude 1) of the first object 420 and (longitude 3, latitude 3) of the reference position can be set as the x-coordinate and y-coordinate of the first point 520. The difference between (longitude 2, latitude 2) of the second object 430 and (longitude 3, latitude 3) of the reference position can be set as the x-coordinate and y-coordinate of the second point 530. The mapping between position and coordinates is shown in Table 1 as an example. Other types of mapping methods can also be used to map positions and coordinates. For example, the longitude and latitude of a position can be represented by numbers, which can be multiplied by a preset constant to obtain the coordinates in the coordinate system. The constant can be any value that meets the accuracy requirements of the coordinate system.

The first line and the second line can be determined according to the first orientation 440 and the second orientation 450 in the coordinate system. The first line passes through the first point 520 and the angle 540 between the first line and the X-axis of the coordinate system is equal to the first azimuth 440. The second line passes through the second point 530 and the angle 550 between the second line and the X-axis is equal to the second azimuth 450. The first line and the second line may intersect each other at intersection 510. The x and y coordinates of the intersection 510 can be determined and then mapped to a position. Since the points in the coordinate system correspond to the positions, the position of the device 410 can be acquired according to the x-coordinate and the y-coordinate of the intersection 510.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the x-coordinate and y-coordinate of the intersection 510 in the coordinate system are the following equations:
X _c = (Y _b- tan θ ₁ · X _b- Y _a + tan θ ₂ · X _a ) / (tan θ _2- tan θ ₁ ),
Y _c = tan θ ₂ · X _c + Y _a- tan θ ₂ X _a
Therefore, here, X _c is the x-coordinate of the intersection 510, Y _c is the y-coordinate of the intersection 510, X _a is the x-coordinate of the first point 520, and Y _a is the first. The y-coordinate of the point 520, X _b is the x-coordinate of the second point 530, Y _b is the y-coordinate of the second point 530, and θ ₁ is in the first orientation 440 of the device. Equal, θ ₂ is equal to the device's second orientation 450. The position of the device 410 can be acquired according to the x-coordinate and the y-coordinate of the intersection 510. The mapping between coordinates and position is shown in Table 2 as an example. Other types of mapping methods can also be used to map coordinates and positions.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the position can be represented using the coordinates in the coordinate system. In one example, the origin, X-axis, and Y-axis of the coordinate system can be preset and the coordinates of the positions of various buildings or landmarks can be recorded in the database. In responding to the step of identifying the first object 420 and the second object 430, the coordinates of the positions of the first object 420 and the second object 430 can be obtained directly from the database. Referring to FIG. 5, the positions of the first object 420 and the second object 430 correspond to the first point 520 and the second point 530 in the coordinate system.

The first line and the second line can be determined according to the first orientation 440 and the second orientation 450 in the coordinate system. The first line passes through the first point 520 and the angle 540 between the first line and the X-axis of the coordinate system is determined according to the first orientation 440. The second line passes through the second point 530 and the angle 550 between the second line and the X-axis is determined according to the second orientation 450.

In one example, the reference direction can be the same as the X-axis direction of the coordinate system, with an angle 540 equal to the first orientation 440 and an angle 550 equal to the second orientation 450. In another example, there is a difference between the reference direction and the X-axis direction, and this difference can be considered with the first orientation 440 or the second orientation 450 to obtain angles 540 and 550. For example, if the X-axis direction is east and the reference direction is 10 degrees north east, the difference is 10 degrees, and this difference can be added to the first azimuth 440 to obtain an angle 540. .. In another example, if the X-axis direction is east and the reference direction is 10 degrees south east, the difference is -10 degrees.

The first line and the second line may intersect each other at intersection 510. The x-coordinate and y-coordinate of the intersection 510 can be determined. Since the points in the coordinate system correspond to the positions, the position of the device 410 can be determined.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the x-coordinate and y-coordinate of the intersection 510 in the coordinate system are the following equations:
X _c = (Y _b- tan θ ₁ · X _b- Y _a + tan θ ₂ · X _a ) / (tan θ _2- tan θ ₁ ),
Y _c = tan θ ₂ · X _c + Y _a- tan θ ₂ X _a
Therefore, here, X _c is the x-coordinate of the intersection 510, Y _c is the y-coordinate of the intersection 510, X _a is the x-coordinate of the first point 520, and Y _a is the first. The y-coordinate of the point 520, X _b is the x-coordinate of the second point 530, Y _b is the y-coordinate of the second point 530, and θ ₁ is in the first orientation 440 of the device. Depending on the second orientation 450 of the device, θ ₂ is determined accordingly. In one example, the reference direction can be the same as the X-axis direction of the coordinate system, where θ ₁ is equal to the first orientation 440 and θ ₂ is equal to the second orientation 450. In another example, there is a difference between the reference direction and the X-axis direction, and this difference can be added to the first orientation 440 or the second orientation 450 to obtain θ ₁ and θ ₂ .

FIG. 6 shows a schematic of an example 600 of another coordinate system for determining the position of the device 410 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The positions of the first object 420 and the second object 430 can be mapped to the first point 620 and the second point 630 in the coordinate system. As an example, select the first point 620 as the origin 510 of the coordinate system, select the reference direction as the X axis of the coordinate system, and select the direction perpendicular to the X axis (reference direction) as the Y axis of the coordinate system. The coordinate system can be established by. In another example, a coordinate system can be established by selecting a direction with an angle from the reference direction as the X-axis of the coordinate system.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the positions of the first object 420 and the second object 430 are suitable for presenting the longitude and latitude, or the positions currently known or to be developed. Can be represented in any other format. Set the difference between the position of the second object 430 (longitude 2, latitude 2) and the position of the first object 420 (longitude 1, latitude 1) as the x-coordinate and y-coordinate of the second point 630. can. The mapping between position and coordinates is shown in Table 3 as an example. Other types of mapping methods can also be used to map positions and coordinates. For example, the longitude and latitude of a position can be represented by numbers, which can be multiplied by a preset constant to obtain the coordinates in the coordinate system. The constant can be any value required.

The first line and the second line can be determined according to the first orientation 440 and the second orientation 450 in the coordinate system. The first line passes through the first point 620 (the origin of the coordinate system) and the angle 640 between the first line and the X-axis of the coordinate system is equal to the first azimuth 440. The second line passes through the second point 630 and the angle 650 between the second line and the X-axis is equal to the second azimuth 450. The first line and the second line may intersect each other at intersection 610. The x and y coordinates of the intersection 610 can be determined and then mapped to a position. The position of the device 410 can be acquired according to the x-coordinate and the coordinates of the intersection 610.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the x-coordinate and y-coordinate of the intersection 610 in the coordinate system are the following equations:
X _c = (Y _b- tan θ _{1 ·} X _b ) / (tan θ _2- tan θ ₁ ),
Y _c = tan θ _{2 ·} X _c
Therefore, here, X _c is the x-coordinate of the intersection 630, Y _c is the y-coordinate of the intersection 630, X _b is the x-coordinate of the second point 520, and Y _b is the second second point. The y coordinate of point 520, θ ₁ is equal to the device's first orientation 440 and θ ₂ is equal to the device's second orientation 450.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method example 700 for positioning according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the method 700 can be implemented by device 410, or another device in the vicinity of device 410. In another example, some steps of the method can be implemented by the device 410 or another device near the device 410, and some steps of the method are local or remote where the device 410 communicates over one or more networks. Can be implemented on the server. In some environments, the method can be jointly implemented by one or more devices 410, another device near the device 410, and a local or remote server.

At block 710, the device can be used to obtain a first image and determine the first orientation of the device. At block 720, the device can be used to acquire a second image to determine the second orientation of the device.

In one example, the imaging device of the device can be used to acquire a first image and a second image. At least two images can be obtained at the same position or at two positions that are generally sufficiently close to each other to be considered as a single position by the positioning system. The first orientation can be the angle between the axial direction and the reference direction of the device when the first object is photographed by the photographing device. The second orientation can be the angle between the axial direction and the reference direction of the device when shooting the second object.

At block 730, the first position of the first object contained in the first image and the second position of the second object contained in the second image can be determined from the street view database. At block 740, the position of the device can be determined according to the first orientation, the second orientation, the first position of the first object, and the second position of the second object.

It should be understood that these steps (the first image acquisition step, the second image acquisition step, the first orientation determination step, the second orientation determination step, the first position). The sequence of (steps to determine, step to determine the second position, etc.) is optional. For example, the step of determining the first orientation or determining the second orientation can be implemented before, at the same time, or after the step of acquiring the first image or acquiring the second image. The steps of determining the first position or determining the second position can also be implemented before, at the same time, or after the step of acquiring the first orientation or acquiring the second orientation.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the device can also be used to obtain a third image to determine the third orientation of the device. Next, the third position of the third object contained in the third image can be determined. Various methods of the present disclosure are used to determine the first position of the device according to the first orientation, the second orientation, the first position of the first object and the second position of the second object. can. Various methods of the present disclosure are used to determine the second position of the device according to the first orientation, the third orientation, the first position of the first object and the third position of the third object. can. The position of the device can then be obtained using the first position of the device and the second position of the device. For example, an intermediate position between the first position of the device and the second position of the device can be calculated and used as the position of the device.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of another method example 800 for positioning according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, method 800 can be performed by device 410, or another device in the vicinity of device 410. In another example, Method 800 can be performed on a local or remote server that communicates with device 410 over one or more networks. In some environments, the method can be jointly implemented by one or more devices 410, another device near the device 410, and a local or remote server.

At block 810, the first image captured by the device can be received from the device. The first orientation of the device can also be received from the device. At block 820, a second image captured by the device can be received from the device, as can the second orientation of the device.

In one example, the device's imaging device can be used to capture a first image and a second image and send them to a remote server over one or more networks. At least two images can be obtained at the same position or at two positions that are generally sufficiently close to each other to be considered as a single position by the positioning system. The first orientation can be the angle between the axial direction and the reference direction of the device when the first object is photographed by the photographing device. The second orientation can be the angle between the axial direction and the reference direction of the device when shooting the second object.

In block 830, the first position of the first object contained in the first image and the second position of the second object contained in the second image can be determined from the object position database. At block 840, the position of the device can be determined according to the first orientation, the second orientation, the first position of the first object, and the second position of the second object. The location of the device can be transmitted to the device through one or more networks.

It should be understood that these steps (acquiring and receiving a first image, receiving a second image, determining a first orientation, determining a second orientation, first The sequence of steps (steps to determine the position of, step to determine the second position, etc.) is optional. For example, the step of receiving the first orientation or receiving the second orientation can be implemented before, simultaneously with, or after the step of receiving the first image or receiving the second image. The steps of determining the first position or determining the second position can also be implemented before, at the same time, or after the step of receiving the first orientation or receiving the second orientation.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer system is provided. The computer system comprises a processor and computer-readable memory coupled to the processor. When executed by the processor, the memory takes the following actions, i.e., a step of acquiring a first image using the device and determining the first orientation of the device, and a second image using the device. The step of acquiring and determining the second orientation of the device and the first position of the first object contained in the first image and the second position of the second object contained in the second image. And a step to determine the position of the device according to the first orientation, the second orientation, the first position of the first object, and the second position of the second object. Be prepared.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product comprises a computer-readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therein, the program instructions acquiring a first image of the device with the processor to determine the first orientation of the device. Then, the device is used to obtain a second image to determine the second orientation of the device, which is included in the first position and second image of the first object contained in the first image. Determine the second position of the second object and position the device according to the first orientation, the second orientation, the first position of the first object, and the second position of the second object. It can be done by the processor to make it determine.

The present invention may be a system, method, computer program product, or all of them at any possible level of technical detail of integration. The computer program product may include (s) computer-readable storage media having computer-readable program instructions on it to cause the processor to implement aspects of the invention.

The computer-readable storage medium can be a tangible device capable of holding and storing instructions for use by the instruction executing device. Computer-readable storage media may be, for example, but not limited to, electronic storage devices, magnetic storage devices, optical storage devices, electromagnetic storage devices, semiconductor storage devices, or any suitable combination of those described above. It may be there. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of computer-readable storage media is portable computer optical discs, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM: read-only memory). , Erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM: eraseable random memory or flash memory), static random access memory (SRAM: static random access memory), portable compact disk read-only -Memory (CD-ROM: portable compact disc read-only memory), digital versatile disc (DVD: digital versatile disc), memory stick, flexible disc, punch card or groove with instructions recorded on it. Includes mechanically encoded devices, such as the raised structure of, and any suitable combination of those mentioned above. Computer-readable storage media are referred to herein as, for example, radio waves, or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission medium (eg, optical pulses through fiber optic cables). ), Or an electrical signal transmitted through a wire, should not be construed as a temporary signal in itself.

Computer-readable program instructions described herein can be transferred from computer-readable storage media to their respective computing / processing devices, or networks such as the Internet, local area networks, wide area networks or wireless networks or them. Can be downloaded to an external computer or external storage device via all of. The network may include copper transmit cables, optical transmit fibers, wireless transmit, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers or edge servers, or all of them. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing / processing device receives computer-readable program instructions from the network and sends those computer-readable program instructions to the computer-readable storage medium in each computing / processing device. Transfer to remember.

The computer-readable program instructions for carrying out the operations of the present invention include assembler instructions, instruction set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcodes, firmware instructions, state setting data, and the like. One or more programming languages, including configuration data for integrated circuit elements, or object-oriented programming languages such as Smalltalk, C ++, and procedural programming languages such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. It may be either source code or object code written in any combination of. Computer-readable program instructions are on the user's computer in whole, in part on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on the remote computer. Alternatively, it may be run entirely on a remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN), or (eg, for example). A connection may be made to an external computer (through the Internet using an Internet service provider). In some embodiments, a programmable logic circuit element, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or a programmable logic array (PLA:) is used to perform aspects of the invention. The electronic circuit element may execute the computer-readable program instruction by personalizing the electronic circuit element by utilizing the state information of the computer-readable program instruction, including programgable log arrays).

Aspects of the invention are described herein with reference to flow chart explanatory diagrams and / or block diagrams of methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be appreciated that each block of the flowchart diagram and / or block diagram, and the combination of blocks in the flowchart diagram and / or block diagram can be implemented by computer-readable program instructions.

These computer-readable program instructions are executed through the processor of a computer or other programmable data processing device, the function / function for which the instructions are specified in one or more blocks of a flowchart or block diagram or both. It may be provided to a general purpose computer, a dedicated computer, or the processor of another programmable data processing device to generate a machine that creates a means to implement the operation. These computer-readable program instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and these program instructions are such that the computer-readable storage medium having the instructions stored therein is one of a flowchart, a block diagram, or both. Or a computer, programmable data device, or other device or theirs to function in a particular way, such as with a product containing instructions that implement the specified function / mode of operation in multiple blocks. You can order everything.

A computer-readable program instruction is such that an instruction executed on a computer, another programmable device, or another device implements a function / operation specified in one or more blocks of a flowchart, a block diagram, or both. On a computer, other programmable data processor, or other device to allow a series of operational steps to generate a computer implementation process to take place on the computer, other programmable device, or other device. May be loaded.

The flowcharts and block diagrams in the figure show the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the invention. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram is a module, segment, or part of an instruction that contains one or more executable instructions to implement the specified logical function (s). May be represented. In some alternative implementations, the functions described in the block may occur in an order other than that shown in the figure. For example, two blocks shown in succession may actually be executed substantially simultaneously, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved. Each block of the block diagram and / or flow chart explanatory diagram, and the combination of blocks in the block diagram or flowchart explanatory diagram or both perform the specified function or operation, or perform the combination of the dedicated hardware and the computer instruction. You will also notice that it can be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system.

Descriptions of the various embodiments of the present disclosure have been presented for illustration purposes, but they are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and changes will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and intent of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is to explain the principles of the embodiments, technical improvements beyond the techniques found in practical use or on the market, or to those skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein. Chosen to do so.

Claims (10)

A method of returning a position with respect to a device, wherein the method is
A step of receiving a first image captured by the device and a first orientation of the device from the device through one or more networks.
A step of receiving a second image captured by the device and a second orientation of the device from the device through the one or more networks.
A step of determining the first position of the first object included in the first image and the second position of the second object included in the second image, the first position. And the second position is obtained using the database of object positions, the step of determining and
A step of determining the device position of the device according to the first orientation, the second orientation, the first position of the first object, and the second position of the second object.
A step of transmitting the device position to the device is provided .
The step of determining the device position is
In a coordinate system, a first line with the first orientation passing through a first point corresponding to the first position of the first object, and the second position of the second object. A step of determining a second line having the second orientation that passes through the second point corresponding to
A step of determining the device position of the device based on the intersection of the first line and the second line in the coordinate system.
How to prepare. The step of acquiring the first position and the second position is
A step of performing image analysis of the first image and the second image in order to identify the first object and the second object, and
A step of comparing the first object and the second object with a plurality of position images in the database.
A step of matching the first object to at least one of the plurality of position images and the second object to at least one of the plurality of position images, wherein the first position is the first position. Given by the position data associated with the at least one position image matched to one object, the second position is the position associated with the at least one position image matched to the second object. The method of claim 1, comprising the matching step provided by the data. The method of claim 1, wherein the first orientation and the second orientation received from the device are determined by the device using sensors in the device. The method of claim 1, wherein the first orientation of the device is an angle between the axial direction and the reference direction of the device . The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the device location is performed by a remote server, the method further comprising a step of transmitting the device location to a device. The step of determining the device position is performed by the device, and the method is:
A step of displaying the device position on the device,
A step of receiving a third image of a third object from the device,
The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of presenting a notification to the user of the device in response to the inability to obtain the position of the third object. A computer system for returning a position with respect to a device, said system.
It comprises a processor and computer-readable memory coupled to the processor, which, when executed by the processor, behaves as follows:
A step of receiving a first image captured by the device and a first orientation of the device from the device through one or more networks.
A step of receiving a second image captured by the device and a second orientation of the device from the device through the one or more networks.
A step of determining the first position of the first object included in the first image and the second position of the second object included in the second image, the first position. And the second position is obtained using the database of object positions, the step of determining and
A step of determining the device position of the device according to the first orientation, the second orientation, the first position of the first object, and the second position of the second object.
A step of transmitting the device position to the device and an instruction to perform the device are provided .
The step of determining the device position is
In a coordinate system, a first line with the first orientation passing through a first point corresponding to the first position of the first object, and the second position of the second object. A step of determining a second line having the second orientation that passes through the second point corresponding to
A step of determining the device position of the device based on the intersection of the first line and the second line in the coordinate system.
A computer system. A computer program, a processor,
The first image captured by the device and the first orientation of the device are received from the device through one or more networks.
A second image captured by the device and a second orientation of the device are received from the device through the one or more networks.
The first position of the first object included in the first image and the second position of the second object included in the second image are determined, and the first position and the second position are determined. The position of is obtained by using the database of object positions.
The device position of the device is determined according to the first orientation, the second orientation, the first position of the first object, and the second position of the second object.
Send the device position to the device
In determining the device position
In a coordinate system, a first line with the first orientation passing through a first point corresponding to the first position of the first object, and the second position of the second object. A second line with the second orientation that passes through the second point corresponding to
The device position of the device is determined based on the intersection of the first line and the second line in the coordinate system.
Computer program for. A computer-readable storage medium that stores the computer program according to claim 8 . It is a method of returning the position with respect to the device, and the above method is
The step of transmitting the first image captured by the device and the first orientation of the device to the server through one or more networks.
A step of transmitting a second image captured by the device and a second orientation of the device to the server through the one or more networks.
A step of receiving a first position of a first object contained in the first image and a second position of a second object contained in the second image through the one or more networks. The first position and the second position are obtained by using the database of object positions, the receiving step, and the above-mentioned receiving step.
It comprises a step of determining the device position of the device according to the first orientation, the second orientation, the first position of the first object and the second position of the second object. ,
The step of determining the device position is
In a coordinate system, a first line with the first orientation passing through a first point corresponding to the first position of the first object, and the second position of the second object. A step of determining a second line having the second orientation that passes through the second point corresponding to
A step of determining the device position of the device based on the intersection of the first line and the second line in the coordinate system.
How to prepare.

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